Cessna 150J accident near Frisco, Texas, September 13, 1999
On September 13, 1999, a Cessna 150J, registered N50495, was substantially damaged in an accident near Frisco, Texas (Frisco Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight and his failure to refuel the airplane. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1999
- Place
- Frisco, Texas · Frisco Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N50495 · no longer on the register · serial 150-69345
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a touch and go landing, the airplane was climbing out when, at about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine lost power. During the forced landing in a field covered by tall grass, the nose landing gear dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest in the inverted position. The owner stated that there was no evidence of fuel leakage under the wings, and he was not able to smell fuel at the accident site. According to the airplane's hour meter, the airplane had flown for 3.2 hours since its last fuel servicing. The 1,060-hour flight instructor reported that he did not visually check the fuel quantity prior to the flight, since the student receiving instruction reported to him that the fuel tanks were 'half full.'
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,060 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1999; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Classic Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DDJ Frisco TX
- Destination: ADS Addison TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.